Christian McCaffrey, the Stanford running back and son of former Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey, is at the NFL scouting combine this week and will be interviewed by the Broncos on Thursday night, coach Vance Joseph said.

"This kid is a really good football player," Joseph said Wednesday. "If you watch the tape, he's a pro's pro. I'm excited to watch him this weekend and in

McCaffrey, projected as a late first round or early second-round selection by most media outlets, announced last December that he would skip Stanford's bowl game against North Carolina to focus on the NFL and begin his combine preparation with Englewood trainer Loren Landow.

Small (he measured 5-foot-11, 202 pounds) but versatile, McCaffrey has been deemed an immediate-impact player because of the multiple ways in which he could contribute to an NFL team — as a back, possibly as a slot receiver and as a returner.

"I think the best match-up coach in football is Bill Belichick, and he's been doing that for years. From my perspective, McCaffrey's a match-up guy. He's a chess piece," NFL Network's draft expert Mike Mayock said. "He averaged — just like Dalvin Cook and (Leonard) Fournette and (Alvin) Kamara — he averaged between 6 and 6.5 yards a carry. He's an outstanding pass-catcher. He's bigger and tougher than people think he is. And he's also a return guy."

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NFL teams are allowed to interview up to 60 combine participants in Indianapolis, and the Broncos will come close to the max, if not hit the threshold.

Davis praise

Inside linebacker Todd Davis is one of the Broncos' three restricted free agents this off-season, along with kicker Brandon McManus and offensive lineman Sam Brenner. Davis and McManus, both of whom played on $600,000 salaries last season, are expected to be tendered before the March 9 deadline.

Restricted players are given first- or second- or low-round tenders. Players can negotiate with other teams, but incumbent teams own their rights and would receive either a first-round draft pick, second-round pick or just the right-of-first refusal, respectively, if players sign offer sheets elsewhere.

Last year running back C.J. Anderson was given a low-round tender, worth only about $1.67 million. He then signed a four-year, $18 million offer sheet with the Miami Dolphins and the Broncos matched at the 11th hour.

Davis and McManus would likely both receive at least second-round tenders, which are projected to be worth around $2.8 million for one year.

"Todd Davis is a physical, downhill mike backer," Joseph said. "He fits the mold of what we want."

Could Kubiak return?

Gary Kubiak's retirement from coaching late last season sent shockwaves through the Broncos organization, but it also surprised many across the NFL.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hired Kubiak as his offensive coordinator in 2014 in the gap year between his Texans head coaching job and being hired as the Broncos head man. He knows what the entire NFL knows about Kubiak: the guy loves football.

"I texted with Gary shortly after that and I was really happy for him. I would say I was a little surprised because I think Gary Kubiak is one of the premier coaches in the NFL. I got to see what a premier human being he is, too," Harbaugh said. "Whatever's best for he and his family. My guess is we haven't seen the last of Gary Kubiak in the National Football League. I'm looking forward to that."

Is C.J. the guy?

Much of the decision around whether to draft McCaffrey will deal with how comfortable the Broncos are with their own backfield. Currently, Anderson, 2016 fourth-round pick Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs are the three backs that were on the roster last season and likely to return in 2016.

"C.J.'s been a consistent good back for the last four seasons," Joseph said. "Booker, as a young guy, showed up last year. Late in the year, he played better and better. I'm excited about those two guys, but running the football is a must."

The attention of course is on Anderson, who hasn't yet been a 1,000-yard rusher. In fact, the Broncos haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Knowshon Moreno in 2013. So can Anderson be that guy?

"Not by himself. We got to fix the line. We got to block better obviously," Joseph said.

Paradis update

Broncos center Matt Paradis underwent his second successful hip surgery in February and is expected to shed his crutches in a couple of weeks. Regaining his mobility will be a major marker in his off-season of recovery. Joseph said the goal is to have Paradis back in some capacity by the start of training camp and back in full by the beginning of the regular season.

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